Turkish Culture - Articles

History of the Turkish Flag

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:50:35 +0000

The Turks have had numerous flags during their long history, and the crescent was on almost every one of them. Turks are Muslims, and many Muslim countries display crescents of different shapes and colors on their flags because the flag of the Ottomans displayed three crescents on a green background.

The Ottomans started to use one crescent and a star on their flags, similar to the current Turkish flag, after the 16th century.

There’s a great story behind the color and symbols on the Turkish flag, which was officially adopted on May 29th, 1936. The story goes that one of the great Sultans, Yavuz Sultan Selim (father of Suleiman the Magnificent), went to war with the Mamaluks in Egypt in 1517. He defeated the Mamaluks and added Egypt to the Ottoman Territories. The evening after the victory, Sultan Selim wandered around the battlefield and saw a puddle of his men’s blood. The moon and a star reflected in the blood in a shape similar to the current Turkish flag. Sultan Selim was so impressed from that combination that he ordered an image of the reflection to be used as the Turkish flag.

Women's Day in Turkey

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:12:24 +0000

Question: Other countries have certain days observing the contributions of women, as in the United States, there is a "Women's History Month." Is there anything like that in Turkey?

Answer: Turkey doesn't have a full month for women, but Turkey doesn't disregard their contributions. March 8th is celebrated as "Women's Day" in Turkey. Various ceremonies are held in every city throughout the country. The Turkish Women's Association and Turkish Mothers' Association work together to celebrate that day so many activities are arranged with the support of the state and city governments.

Mother's day is celebrated as a big day in Turkey. All the papers and TV channels have articles and shows regarding mothers and women in general.

After the foundation of the modern Republic of Turkey in 1923, Turkish women gained all of their rights and became equal with men in every field. Polygamy was banned in 1926 and Turkish women were given the right to vote and become deputies in parliament in 1934, before many European countries gave that right to their women. Seventeen women were elected as deputies in the elections of 1935.

Women in Turkey have equal rights with men in Turkey, and women have held practically all political positions. Mrs. Tansu Ciller was the prime minister in 1994. Turkey hasn't had a female president yet, but Turkey was the first country to have a woman judge in its supreme court.

Turkey was also the first country to have a woman combat pilot. She is Sabiha Gokcen, who was born in Bursa in 1913. Young Sabiha was adopted by Ataturk, founder of the modern Republic of Turkey, in 1925. After completing her elementary and high school education, she was enrolled in the Turk Kusu (Turkish Bird) Civil Aviation School of the Turkish Aeronautical Association in 1935 and was awarded with High Glider Brevets in Ankara. Gokcen was sent to Crimea, Russia with seven male students, and completed her education in flying gliders.

She then enrolled in the Eskisehir Military Aviation School in 1936 and became a military pilot upon completing the special training she received. She completed her apprenticeship period at the Eskisehir 1st Airplane Regiment and flew hunter and bomber aircraft.

She was involved in the Dersim operation and the Thrace and Aegean maneuvers. Gokcen, who completed a Balkan tour with her airplane as a guest of the Balkan states in 1938, was appointed as the chief lecturer to Turk Kusu of the Turkish Aeronautical Association.

She continued this duty until 1955 in a very successful manner. She has flown a total of 22 bomber and acrobatics aircraft during her life. Sabiha Gokcen died at the age of 88, one day after her birthday, on March 22, 2001. Sabiha Gokcen is a source of inspiration for all female pilots of the world. The second airport in Istanbul on the Asian side is name after her - Sabina Gokcen International Airport.

Visiting a Mosque

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:19 +0000

Question: What should we do and not do when visiting a mosque? Can we visit any mosque or only certain ones?

Answer: You can visit any mosque in Turkey. However, avoid visiting a mosque during prayer times. Muslims go to the mosque five times a day during prayer. Those prayers are the morning, noon, afternoon, evening and night prayers. Since it is determined according to the sunrise and sunset, the times of the prayers change slightly every day. But the best time to visit is between those prayer times.

Dress conservatively while visiting a mosque. Men shouldn't go into a mosque with shorts or sleeveless shirts. Women should wear conservative clothes; no shorts or sleeveless blouses. Pants are acceptable, but women should avoid wearing tight-fitting clothes which show the lines of the body. Women should also have a scarf to cover their heads. Children 12 and under can wear shorts and short sleeves.

Take off your shoes before entering a mosque; it's a good idea to bring a bag with you to carry your shoes while inside. Many major mosques have plastic bags at the entrance for that purpose. These mosques also have head scarves for women and pants for those who come with shorts. But of course it's better to wear your own scarf and pants.

Walk around a mosque quietly. Don't talk loudly or joke around. You might see some men praying in the mosque. Don't walk in front of them, walk behind them. You can take pictures both inside and outside of mosques.

You don't have to contribute, but most of the mosques have donation boxes. You can make your donation by putting money into collection boxes, or in some cases giving it to a mosque official. In that case, make sure you get a receipt for your donation.

The Turkish Breakfast

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:49:18 +0000

Question: Last weekend, I stayed at a small hotel. It was a bed and breakfast type of place, and the price for the room included breakfast and was very reasonable. But I was surprised in the morning when I saw what I was given for breakfast. It was a small piece of white cheese, a few black olives, some sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, and a cup of tea. Do the Turks really eat only those things for breakfast?

Answer: Turks have a different eating culture. Contrary to the advice of health and food experts, Turks eat very little at breakfast, a normal amount of food at lunch and a big dinner. Dinner is the main meal of the day, and it is eaten at late hours and lasts a long time.

What you described is a typical Turkish breakfast. Tea, not coffee, is the main drink for breakfast. As a result of the cultural exchange with western countries, Turkish breakfasts have started to offer more variety in food and drinks. Many hotels serve a large open buffet breakfast to satisfy customers from any country.

Most people working in offices eat simit, or "Turkish doughnuts," and drink tea for breakfast before starting work in the mornings. Another common thing consumed for breakfast in Turkey, especially in rural areas, is pekmez. Pekmez is grape juice boiled to a sugary solid or heavy syrup. It is mostly home made, and on cold winter days it provides energy the body needs all day long.

After receiving your question, I asked your question to an American friend of mine who is married to a Turkish woman. His answer was quite interesting. He said "Turks have a cup of coffee and a cigarette as breakfast. My father-in-law lights a cigarette as soon as he wakes up and his wife brings him a strong cup of Turkish coffee."

Although it sounds awkward, that answer has some facts. Caffeine in coffee wakes you up, and Turks have been aware of that for centuries. Drinking a cup of coffee in the morning has become a tradition. Turks are heavy smokers as well. We are talking about strong Turkish coffee and Turkish tobacco. Those two strong items become very heavy for the empty stomach and the body system. Therefore, some food should be in the stomach before drinking coffee in the morning. So breakfast is called "kahvalti" in Turkish, after the word "kahve" (coffee). Kahvalti really comes from "kahve alti," which literally means "(something) under the coffee." It is the little food we consume before drinking the coffee to protect the stomach from the coffee. Drinking Turkish coffee in the morning is being replaced by drinking Turkish tea, but eating very little in the mornings has not changed.

Lunch is called "ogle yemegi," (err-ley yeh-meh-ee) which literally means "noon meal," and dinner is called aksam yemegi, (ahk-shahm-yeh-meh-ee) which means "evening meal." Even the name of breakfast in Turkish does not identify it as a meal.

Turkish Tea

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:32:10 +0000

Question: I've seen that Turks drink a lot of tea. Whenever I go to a Turkish friend's house or a shop, they immediately offer tea. I understand Turks brew their tea differently as well. How do they brew their tea?

Answer: As you have seen, tea is the main beverage in Turkey, in cold or hot weather. Turks follow only the British and the Chinese in the amount of tea we drink. Some people drink up to 15 or 20 cups a day.

As other nations have their own way of preparing tea, so do we. You will need two kettles to do the job right, one large and one small. The small one sits on the top of the large one like a lid. If you buy the kettles as a set, they are designed to fit one atop the other. First, you fill the large kettle with water and boil it. Meanwhile, put tea leaves and a little water, enough to wet the teal leaves, into the small kettle. Then put the small kettle on the top of the big kettle, which is already heating. The number of cups you want to serve dictates how much tea leaves you should put into the small kettle, usually, it is about one teaspoon for each cup.

Once the water in the big kettle starts to boil, fill the small kettle with the boiling water from the big kettle. Add cold water to the big kettle, filling it up again. Now, put the two kettles back on the stove, again with the small one on top of the larger one. Wait until the water in the big kettle starts to boil again. By that time, the tea leaves have added their color, aroma, and taste to the water.

As the water in the big kettle boils, your tea is ready to serve. Pour some tea from the small kettle into a cup then fill it up with boiling water from the big kettle. You can adjust the strength of your tea by pouring more or less from the small kettle. Put the kettles back on the stove until you finish drinking your fist cup, then serve the second. At that time, you can reduce the heat for the kettles.

You can add more water to be boiled to the big kettle, but to not add water, cold or hot, to the small kettle. It makes the already good tea in the small kettle become bad. If you need more tea, you should go through the process again and brew more tea.

The amount of sugar is also adjustable according to the person's taste. Many people drink Turkish tea without adding any sugar. In some parts of eastern Turkey, there is a special sugar called kirtlama. This is a piece of hard sugar people put under their tongues. They can then drink several cups with one piece of hard sugar held that way!

Although it is not Turkish style, tea bags are also available in the markets, both imported and domestic. You can also see tea flavored with almost every fruit from apple and strawberry to orange and lemon. They are mostly sold in tea bags. Many shops, especially carpet shops, serve apple tea to their customers. In fact, apple tea has become more popular than regular Turkish tea. Apple tea is instant, you simply put it in hot water and stir. It is concentrated apple juice and sugar, therefore, you don't have to add sugar to apple tea.

Turkish tea is served in special tulip-shaped glass teacups, so people can hold them easier and feel the heat in their hands. Turkish tea is always served hot.

Turkish Superstitions

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:22:48 +0000

Turkey has been inhabited for more than 10,000 years, and more than 30 civilizations have passed through this country. Turkey is considered a mosaic of cultures and beliefs. Therefore, we have hundreds of superstitions in Turkey.

Different regions have different superstitions, and some acts that may be considered good by one region are considered bad in another. For example, if an owl hoots on the roof of a house, some regions believe the family will receive a message, while another region sees it as a signal of bad luck or death. Despite the regional differences, there are many common superstitions. Some of them are very similar to superstitions in European countries or in America. Here are some of the most common superstitions:

Walking under a ladder will bring bad luck
If a person breaks a mirror, he will have bad luck for seven years or somebody in his family will die. To prevent this, pieces of the broken mirror should be buried immediately.
If a black cat passes in front of you, it will bring bad luck.
If someone hands a cutting utensil, like a knife or scissors, directly to someone, they will fight. To prevent a fight, the giver should put the utensil on the ground, a table, desk or chair, so the receiver can pick it up.
You should get out of the bed from the right side so that your day starts well.
You should enter your house with your right foot so you will have happiness in your house.
A shop owner enters his establishment with his right foot so he'll get good business.
You should not cut your nails at night. Turkish people believe that you will shorten your life for shortening your nails at night.
You shouldn't whistle at night because it brings evil.
You shouldn't sweep your house at night. Sweeping at night brings poverty to the house.
Washing clothes on Saturday brings bad luck.
If a woman with a headache enters a mosque and sweeps it with her scarf, her headache will go away.
If a dog barks during the call for prayer, someone in the neighborhood will die.
If you light a cigarette with a candle, a sailor will die at sea.
If you see a snake on your way somewhere, it's a sign of good luck.
If you measure a baby's length, the baby will remain short.
If a person steps over a baby, it's considered bad luck since babies are considered to be like angels.
If a young girl wears a married man's ring, she will have bad luck in her marriage.
If a woman eats eggs during her pregnancy, her child will be very naughty.

Here are a few superstitions specific to particular regions:

In Corum, people believe one who can eat pomegranate without dropping the pieces will go to heaven. In Eceabat and Canakkale, people place a spoon into the Kasikci Baba (the tomb of a Turkish holy man), so that their wishes will come true.

The Turkish National Lottery

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:05:20 +0000

Question: Just before New Year’s Eve, a Turkish coworker collected money from the office personnel saying that he would be buying some lottery tickets for the office. He mentioned that we could win millions of dollars. Is the lottery very common in Turkey?

Answer: Including your office, many offices, groups of friends, family members, and organizations purchase joint lottery tickets for the New Year's Eve lottery drawing. And your coworker was right that you could win millions of dollars in that drawing.

In fact, Milli Piyango (National Lottery) is drawn the ninth, nineteenth, and twenty ninth of every month. There are three different ticket prices; full, half, and quarter. Depending on the ticket, people might win full, half, or a quarter of the prize. The price of tickets and the prizes increase on special days. But, the New Year's Eve drawing is very special. Tickets are marketed at the beginning of December and people buy tickets like crazy with great hopes and expectations. The top prize is often ten million dollars or more.

The most popular lottery is Sayisal Loto (numeric lottery). This lottery is based on guessing six numbers out of 49 and the drawing is done on Saturday nights. Drawings are broadcast live on Turkish National Television as pat of an entertainment program.

There are some other luck games in addition to Milli Piyango and Sayisal Lotto. One of them is Sans Topu (Luck Ball). It consists of two parts. First, five numbers out of 34 are chosen, then one number out of 14. The drawing is every Wednesday.

Another luck game is Kazi-Kazan (Scratch and Win), which is a simple scratch-and-win lottery. Each card has eight boxes to scratch. Find three matching boxes and win the amount printed on the matching boxes.

All lotteries are under the monopoly of the State in Turkey. Turkey used to have casinos in five-star hotels but they were closed some years ago by the government. Most casinos moved to Cyprus. Travel agencies now organize weekend gambling tours to Cyprus.

Turkish Coffee

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:52:55 +0000

Question: Although coffee is not grown in Turkey, it has become well known throughout the world as "Turkish coffee." Why is that?

Answer: You're right. Coffee is not grown in Turkey, but it has been popular in Turkey since the middle of the 16th century. Coffee spread to the Arabian Peninsula in the 15th century, from Yemen. The green coffee beans were brought to Istanbul from Yemen. Istanbul was the capital of the Ottoman Empire, and Yemen was Ottoman territory then.

From Istanbul, coffee beans and the beverage found their way to the west, and within a few decades of its introduction, Europeans were addicted to this new drink.

Interestingly, coffee spread to Europe when the Ottoman Turks besieged Vienna in 1683. The blockade lasted several months, so the Turks not only had their logistical materials and food, but plenty of sacks of coffee.

The Ottoman armies eventually withdrew, leaving behind the sacks of coffee. Some Turks also stayed. Legend says they introduced coffee to the locals and opened the first coffee shops in Europe.

Although coffee was introduced to Europe by the Turks, Europeans prepare their coffee differently from Turkish coffee. Turkish coffee is prepared with finely powdered beans. The beans are roasted and ground when they are still warm for the best results. Coffee can also be purchased already ground. Cezve, a small metal pot with a long handle, is used to prepare and brew Turkish coffee. Turkish coffee is enjoyed with small coffee cups that could be used for measuring ingredients.

How to Make Turkish Coffee

Place one cup of water and one generously-heaped teaspoonful of coffee into the cezve for each cup of Turkish coffee you want to prepare. You can adjust the strength according to your taste.
Add sugar if you like sweet coffee. You should not add sugar after the coffee is poured because it will change the entire experience of the coffee. Some people boil the water first, then add sugar to the ground coffee.
When asking for sugar you should say "sekerli" (sheh-kehr-lee) for sweet coffee, "orta sekerli" (or-tah sheh-kehr-lee) for medium sugar, and "az sekerli" (ahz-sheh-kehr-lee) for light sugar. Ask for "sade" (sah-deh) for plain coffee with no sugar.
Place the cezve with the ingredients on low heat, stirring slowly with the water, coffee, and sugar mixing together. When the coffee begins rising, remove it from the heat, pour a little of the froth into each cup and place the cezve on the heat again. Let it rise one more time and pour the rest into the cups. The art of Turkish coffee is to not lose the froth.

A cup of drinking water is also served with Turkish coffee. It is customary to take a sip of water and rinse the mouth to clear it from any former tastes. This way you can get the full coffee taste.

Turkish coffee is served very hot. It should be sipped slowly and gently, taking care to inhale the fragrance and the flavor. Make sure you don't drink the grounds at the bottom.

The Many Uses of "Allah" in Turkish Phr...

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:43:24 +0000

Question: I hear the word “Allah” in daily conversation among my Turkish friends a lot. I tried to understand the use of the word but found that they use the word in various ways depending on the situation with different pronunciations. Would you explain the differences please?

Answer: Turks are Muslim, so the word "Allah" is commonly in daily conversation. Below are some of the words heard from Turkish nationals and their meanings:

Bismillah: In the name of Allah, used before people start doing something
Inshallah: God willing, used when wishing something to happen
Evelallah: With the help of Allah, used when self-assured
Eyvallah: Thanks, good-bye, all right, used when giving up or agreeing with something or leaving
Ya Allah: Please help me God, used when wanting to accomplish something or start doing something new
Fesuphanallah: Oh my God, used when getting bored
Allah, Allah, Allah: Used when motivating self or others
Hay Allah: What a pity, used when failing in something
Masallah: Used when wanting to show admiration

Masallah is used commonly. literally it means "What (wonders) God has willed, wonderful or marvelous." It's expected for people to say "Masallah" when they see beauty whether it be in a baby, child, house, vehicle, job, plant, etc. Many believe that if "Masallah" isn't said at the first sight of beauty the evil eye will ruin that beauty; the baby will lose its health, the vehicle will have an accident, the job will be lost, the plant will die, etc. So, by saying "Masallah," the evil eye will be averted from that beauty. Very commonly the word "Masallah" is written in big letters on the front of trucks and buses. The purpose of that is when people first see the vehicle they read "Masallah" and thus it serves the purpose of averting the evil eye from the truck or bus and saves it from traffic accidents.

Spider Superstions in Turkey

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:33:33 +0000

Question: The other day, my husband was going to step on a spider in our house to kill it, but our Turkish maid was upset and said that it was a special spider. Why are spiders considered special, and how can we keep them out of the house so we don't have to kill them?

Answer: I believe that your maid's reaction is from a story traced back to the time of the Prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam. Mohammed started Islam in his home town, Mecca, and his religion started to spread in nearby towns as well. The leadership of Mecca was totally against him.

Mohammed understood that his life was in danger in Mecca, so he and his close friend Abu-Bakr left Mecca secretly and went to Medina. Meccan troops searched for them in every corner, cave, and cavity between Mecca and Medina. Mohammed and Abu-Bakr were almost caught, but they hid in a small cave. A miracle happened as spiders started to spin a heavy web at the entrance of the cave.

The people looking for Mohammed and Abu-Bakr came to the entrance of the cave covered with a heavy spider web. Seeing the web, the troops said "if Mohammed was in that cave he would have destroyed the web. Let's not waste time here." That's how Mohammed was saved from being caught and executed by the Meccan troops. Some people believe that spiders should be privileged since they saved the prophet's life.

By the way, do you know how most mosques in Turkey are protected from spiders and webs? They protect them with Ostrich eggs. Mosques, including the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Selimiye Mosque in Edirne and Old Mosque in Adana have ostrich eggs hanging outside them. The new Sabanci Mosque in Adana doesn't have an ostrich egg yet, but I expect to see one soon. Ostrich eggs give off a scent that keeps spiders away, but remains unnoticed by humans. Even more interesting, that method is quite effective, and one egg is good for hundreds of years.

Turkish Simit

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:26:56 +0000

Question: I've seen many street vendors, many of them children, selling bread, shaped like rings. What is it and how is it made?

Answer: Those vendors are common throughout Turkey. They are selling "Turkish doughnuts" called "simit." They are also called "Gevrek." Simit has been a popular part of Turkish culture for 600 years. People looking for something fast and inexpensive to eat will seek out a simit seller. Many people working in offices have a breakfast of simit and tea before starting work. Simit is also eaten while drinking "salep," a beverage made of pulverized roots from certain Turkish orchids.

Simit was first baked for Janissaries (troops of the Ottoman Empire) in the 14th century, but the public liked it so much it became a part of Turkish culture. Simit is fairly easy to make. The dough is kneaded in machines and shaped into rings, dipped in water sweetened with a little sugar, and sprinkled with sesame seeds before baking. Although you might see different types of simit in different regions of Turkey, the basic ingredients are the same.

Seker Bayram (Sugar Festival) in Turkey

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:21:45 +0000

Seker Bayram, or the "sugar festival," is celebrated by Muslims at the end of Ramazan, the fasting month for Muslims. It lasts three and a half days. It is a national religious holiday in Turkey. Schools and government offices are closed during those days. It is traditional to wear new outfits during Bayram, so parents get new clothes for their children. Many children are excited about wearing their new clothes on the first day of the festival. The house is completely cleaned a few days before the festival.

The First Day: The first day of Seker Bayram is the most important. Everybody wakes up early and the men go to the mosque for the special Bayram prayer. After returning from the mosque, all of the family members dress up nicely, mostly with new clothes, and another important tradition is practiced: the Bayram visits.

Ramazan Visits: Young people visit their elders first. The other relatives, neighbors and friends are also visited. Due to those visits, the traffic is quite busy on the first day of the festival. Bayram visits are kept very short - ten to fifteen minutes. Mostly candies, chocolates, Turkish coffee and cold beverages are offered to visitors. People who cannot visit their friends and family members in other towns make telephone calls or send cards celebrating the festival. Children normally love Bayram visits and would like to visit as many elders as they can because it's traditional for elders to give pocket money to the children. Children can easily collect pocket money for one month. The best part for the children is that there is no restriction on how much they can spend and how they spend it. Therefore, amusement parks are set up in almost every town during the festival.

Ramazan Tipping: Kapicis (doormen or superintendents of apartment buildings), trash collectors, and Ramazan drummers often knock on doors during the Seker Bayram festival expecting gifts or tips.

Cemetery Visits: Another tradition practiced during the festival is visiting the graves of deceased family members. The visits to graveyards start one day prior to the festival and continue during the festival.

Gifts and Congratulations: If you visit your Turkish friends, a box of candy or chocolate would be the most appropriate gift to take. The phrase for wishing your Turkish friends a happy holiday is "Iyi Bayramlar" (ee-yee-by-rahm-lahr), which means literally "good festivals" or "I wish you a happy festival."

Ramazan Names: Another tradition in Turkey is to give boys born during Bayram the name "Bayram," just like giving the name "Ramazan" to boys born during Ramazan.

Another name for the festival is "Ramazan Bayrami." In Arabic, the holiday is called "Id-ul Fitr." The name "Seker Bayram" or "sugar festival" comes from the tradition of exchanging sweets during the holiday.

Typically shops are closed on the first day of the festival, but they open up again on the second day. When you visit Turkish friends or encounter children during Seker Bayram, you'll often see them kiss your hand and place it on their forehead as they bow to you. It's a Turkish tradition for children to show respect for elders in that way. They put the back of your hand against their forehead to show you that you have a position "at the top of their head." The correct response is to kiss the child on both cheeks as a sign of love and sympathy for them. You'll then often see the children put out their hands afterward, expecting a bit of pocket change! It's traditional to give the child a coins when they do that. The sincerity of the act they just performed is another question entirely!

Fortune Telling with Turkish Coffee

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:04:22 +0000

Question: I heard fortune telling with the help of a coffee cup is very common. Could you tell me about that?

Answer: Fortune telling out of coffee cups after drinking Turkish coffee is a common, popular, and ancient art in Turkey. Not everybody can read the coffee cups, but it is quite popular especially among women. There is a Turkish proverb that says "the memories of a cup of coffee are good for forty years." In order to prolong their visit, women generally ask each other to read their coffee cups.

The way it works is, you put the saucer on top of the coffee cup after you have finished. Then, shake the cup slightly and turn it so the saucer and cup are upside down. Let the cup cool a while and hand it to the fortune teller. Fortune tellers predict the future according to the designs and shapes the coffee sediment creates in the cup. No two fortune tellers ever agree on the meaning they see in the grounds. A wide variety of subjects may be seen, such as finance, travel, politics, love, and matrimony. If the teller knows the subject the individual is interested in, the fortune usually gets a more accurate forecast.

Some people make fortune telling out of coffee cups professionally and make a living out of it. Here are some of the more popular interpretations you might search for if you want to become a fortune teller:

Large white spaces mean peace of mind
A vertical white line down the side of the cup is a snake symbol meaning bad luck
A white, uninterrupted circle around the top of the cup means travel. But if it is blocked by a patch of black, it means you'll have to turn back before the journey is completed or cancel it at the last minute
Some white lines are also interpreted as travel. A long line means a long trip; a short line means a short trip
A white pigeon-shape is a good sign meaning happiness or good news you will soon receive. Sometimes the fortune tellers give an estimated time of receiving that news as well depending on the black spots they see around the pigeon-like shape
A horse-shape is a sign that your wishes will come true
A big gate and white space after means that you will solve your problems
Lumps on the side mean money
A big lump at the bottom of the cup means problems

There is another Turkish saying about fortune telling: "don't believe in fortune telling, but don't disregard it, either!"

Cartouches and Puzzle Rings

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:56:53 +0000

Two of the most popular jewelry items to buy in Turkey are cartouches and puzzle rings.

The Cartouche

A cartouche is a hieroglyphic nameplate or seal. Every ancient Egyptian pharaoh, king and queen had a cartouche which spelled out their names or a description saying in hieroglyphic symbols. Royal cartouches are found throughout the ruins of ancient Egypt, inscribed into he walls of temples, tombs and statues, bearing information about this interesting civilization.

Originally the cartouche was worn only by the pharaohs or kings of Egypt. The pharaoh was considered to be a living god on earth and his cartouche was his insignia. The "magical oval" in which the pharaoh's first name was written was intended to protect him from evil spirits both while he lived and in the after-world when entombed.

Over the past 5,000 years, the cartouche has become a universal symbol of long life, good luck and protection from evil. Now the cartouches are quite popular and could be made either in gold or silver. Your name is spelled out in the Latin alphabet on one side and in hieroglyphic alphabet on the other side. The jewelers can spell your name in the Arabic alphabet as well.

The Puzzle Ring

In olden times, the story goes that there was a young man who had a reputation of fooling around with women. He wanted to marry the sultan's daughter. The sultan refused the young man, but his daughter was in love with him. The sultan wanted the man to promise that he would not deceive his daughter. The young man promised, and the sultan gave him permission to marry his daughter. The sultan still didn't trust his son-in-law and was afraid that he would still deceive his daughter. To make sure his son-in-law didn't secretly cheat on his wife, the sultan sought a tell-tale solution, and an adviser to the sultan came up with the puzzle ring.

If a person carelessly takes the puzzle ring off his finger, it comes apart. If he doesn't know how to put the ring back together, it can't be worn. Thus, the sultan gave a puzzle ring as a gift to his son-in-law to maintain control over him. I don't know if the son-in-law remained faithful, but puzzle rings have been popular ever since.

Appropriate Baby Gifts in Turkey

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:50:25 +0000

Question: What is an appropriate gift for a new born Turkish baby?

Answer: Baby clothes, baby blankets, or a baby stroller are good practical gifts for a new baby. Another very common gift for babies in Turkey is a small piece of gold. All jewelry stores sell these special pieces of gold. They are all round and in three different weights and prices. Those gold pieces are also used as gifts for the newly married couples. They are connected with safety pins decorated with a red ribbon. While visiting the family or baby, the gold piece is attached to the clothing of the baby. Sometimes, mothers also receive gifts after a birth; but unfortunately fathers are left out as if they had no involvement in the process of birth!

The Mevlana, or "Whirling Dervishes"

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:46:12 +0000

Come, come whoever; whatever you are,
Come again infidel, idolator or fire-worshiper come again,
Our monastery is not a place of despair,
Even if you have violated your oaths a hundred times, come
again.

And millions, from every corner of the earth, have accepted that invitation throughout the centuries. The founder of the Whirling Dervishes, Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi's message of love, brotherhood and tolerance was so powerfully expressed in his poetry that his teaching spread throughout the Muslim world even before his death on December 17th, 1273.

Before his death, Mevlana told his followers not to cry and mourn when he died; because for him, death was a "wedding day, a nuptial night." The day you get back to your origin, the day you are united with God. Thousands of tourists and pilgrims go to Konya every year to observe the Whirling Dervishes dance. Mevlevi disciples come from throughout Turkey to celebrate the wedding night of their founder.

Konya (ancient Iconium), which Saint Paul visited three times, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It was already a major political and religious center when Mevlana arrived there in 1226. He was a professor in the theological seminary and a preacher in the mosque. Mevlana became so popular that everyone, from the sultan to the person selling fruit and vegetables on the street, referred to him as "our master."

Mevlana's message of love, peace, brotherhood and unity with God appealed to the people of that strife-torn time. Nevertheless, the religiously conservative citizens objected to his use of stringed instruments, drums and reed flutes. This music accompanies whirling through which he and his disciples sought to align themselves with nature and thus with God. Mevlana insisted, however, that prayer has a motion.

His followers eventually developed the distinctive whirling movements of their unique prayer ritual. Symbolic movements, special clothing and musical instruments are all part of the Mevlevi ceremony. The dance, in three parts, represents the states of knowing God, seeing God, and uniting with God. Ecstasy and passion were hallmarks of Mevlana's thoughts of art. Mevlana brought mysticism to the excitement of poetic recitations, music, and dance. He came to be revered by men of many faiths and symbolized the unity of mankind.

"There are hundreds of thousands of bodies, but only one soul," he said. Iranians claim him as a national poet since he wrote in Persian. Afghans love him, because he is a Turk and taught on their soil. At his funeral there was a large gathering of people from all backgrounds and religions who adhered to his peaceful and universal ideas.

His son founded the Mevlevi order in his name and built a mausoleum in Konya. It became a gathering place for all humanity who came to respect his preachings of love, brotherhood, peace, humanity and tolerance. Many nobles, politicians, artists and statesmen became members of his order. Ottoman sultans visited his tomb before departing on long campaigns.

Since the 13th century, Konya's citizens have welcomed foreign tourists. Annual performances are given during the week preceding December 17th. To accommodate spectators, the dance is performed in a gymnasium decorated for the occasion.

Fast Food in Turkey

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:34:02 +0000

Question: What Turkish foods are considered "fast food?

Answer: I think every nation, country, and culture has "fast food." The most common fast food in Turkey is the doner kebap. But some other fast food items are more common in various regions of Turkey. Here are the most popular fast food dishes:

Doner Kebap

This is chunks of lamb, chicken, or beef placed on a large vertical skewer. The meat and the skewer look like a large cone. The meat cone spins vertically, very slowly against an open flame. While spinning, the meat becomes grilled and seared, and the cook cuts the grilled meat with the help of a very long, sword-looking knife in very thin slices. It looks as if the cook is shaving the cooked meat. The grilled meat is put on a pide (flat) bread with some sliced lettuce, pickles and tomato slices. The bread is rolled around its contents and given to the customer. Sometimes you will see specially baked sandwich bread used for doners. If doner is served on a plate on the pide with a tasty tomato sauce and yogurt, it is called "Iskender." Bursa, a city close to Istanbul, is the hometown of doner and Iskender. More commonly than lamb and beef meat, you will see doner cooked with chicken at almost every corner in big cities. Very few restaurants use coal or wood for doner. Specially designed liquid petroleum gas doner grills are used everywhere. Doner is very common and popular in Germany as well due to the large Turkish population there; it is said that doner has become a national food for the Germans.

Adana Durum Kebap

This is minced lamb meat places around a wide skewer and cooked over a coal fire. The meat is treated with salt and red pepper, hot pepper if you desire, before being placed around the skewer. You should be careful to place the meat around the skewer so it doesn't fall off before and while on the fire. After cooking it, the meat is put on flat bread (pide). Sliced onion, parsley, tomato, and lettuce are put on the bread with the cooked meat and everything is rolled into the bread. Then it is packed (rolled) into a paper. A a slice of lemon and a few pieces of radish will be added to the package. You will see Adana Durum Kebap stands, even on modified push cards, in many places in large cities.

Shish Kebap Durum

This is pieces of chicken, lamb, or beef on thinner skewers and grilled over a coal fire. Cooking and servicing is the same as Adana Durum Kebap.

Kofte Ekmek (meat balls and bread)

You can find this fast food throughout Turkey. Meat balls are grilled on hot plates and served in half a loaf of bread. In addition to the meat balls you will have sliced onion, hot spice, tomato, salad and parsley in your bread. Kofte ekmek sellers conduct their business either with their modified push cards or with modified vans for that purpose.

Lahmacun

This is sometimes called a "Turkish pizza." When minced lamb or beef is mixed and treated with tomato, onion, salt, parsley, red pepper (mild or hot), and it is spread on a layer of thin dough. It is baked in an oven. Add parsley and squeeze lemon juice onto it, then roll it up and eat.

Kumpir

Basically, this is a stuffed potato. It was introduced in large cities and is favored mostly by young people. After baking and cutting the potato, cheese and salt are added and mixed with the potato inside the skin. Various ingredients can be added such as mayonnaise, sliced green and black olives, pickles, peas, mushrooms or corn. Kumpir stands normally have a display case with a variety of other ingredients on display, so you can choose how you want yours to be made.

Gozleme

A very thin sheet of dough baked on a convex curved sheet of metal. After baking the dough, it is filled with cheese, spinach, or mince. Of course, the filler is treated with spices, especially red pepper. It is made and served fresh while you wait. You can sometimes see women opening the dough and making gozleme on an open fire outside restaurants in tourist areas. Sikma and Bazlama are other names for gozleme.

Simit

Also called "Turkish doughnuts" among other things. It is probably the most common and popular fast food in Turkey. Accompanied by a cup of tea, it is the main fast food for breakfast. You'll see simit being sold at mobile stands specially designed for the purpose, as well as by boys who carry them on large wooden trays balanced on their heads. Another name for simit is "gevrek," which the sellers will often call out trying to attract the attention of any hungry people within earshot.

Ayran

This is the national non-alcoholic drink consumed with Turkish fast food items. It is a mixture of yogurt and water. Salt is added depending on the drinker's taste. Ayran has the ability to give the stomach a more satisfied, full feeling than drinking water or soft drinks.

Turkish Village Life

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:25:20 +0000

Question: I know that in most countries there are differences between city and rural life, what are the differences in Turkey?

Answer: It is nearly impossible to compare village life with city life in Turkey. It is just as hard to compare life in a small city with life in a bit city. There are about 45,000 villages throughout Turkey and almost all of them deal with farming or raising animals. Depending on the location and the region of the villages, in the mountains or on the plains, life in them varies. What they all have in common is that the pace is a lot slower during the winter.

Eighty five percent of the villages have electric power and with the help of contemporary technology, the standards of living have been raised a lot in the last few decades. By using satellite TV dishes, the villagers can watch many television channels. Television brings the world to the villagers' living rooms.

Another cornerstone of modern life in the village is the cellular phone. That invention solved the problem of communication. Nearly everyone in most villages, from the shepherd to the farm truck driver, has a cellular phone now.

In winter, when there is nothing to do in the fields, men usually meet at the village's tea house to kill time. Women usually stay home and do house work; cooking, knitting and raising children. Classes for adult education are often offered during winter months. Children go to the elementary school in the villages. Nights are cold and long. They go to bed very early or watch television. Life begins to get busier in the spring. Fields need to be plowed and seeded. Depending on the crops, the type of farming and business varies. Every single member of the family helps during that time. Summer is busy as well and harvesting in fall is the best season for the villagers. It is the time when they pay their bills and debts. It is also the wedding season.

The Nazar or "Evil Eye," and Other Supe...

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:22:36 +0000

Question: What's the significance of the Nazar, or Evil Eye in Turkey?

Answer: Throughout Turkey, you'll see a blue, yellow, and white ornament which looks roughly like an eye. They are often displayed in shops, houses, and even on vehicles. It's believed that some people have power in their looks that can harm other people, domestic animals, goods, and properties. To have the "evil eye" is not the person's fault, it can come upon anyone. Once a person has the "evil eye" he or she can unintentionally bring harm to whoever or whatever he or she looks at. It's also believed that this power comes from the eyes, the two exit points of the soul. This ornament is worn or displayed as a protector from that "evil eye."

The history of the evil eye goes back before the Muslim religion's emergence in the Middle East, and is seen among the Arabs, Iranians, Greeks, Indians, and even in Ancient Egypt. Blue bead eyes are attached to children, to valuable animals, houses, vehicles, and properties. A chain of blue-bead eyes is attached to the forehead of larger animals. Lovers also give each other blue-beads with the hope that these beads will protect their loved ones. In addition to blue beads, some other objects are also used for that purpose. To protect fruit trees and fields from the evil eye, an animal skull is placed by the tree or field. Horseshoes, garlic, and children's shoes can also be seen hanging in trucks, buses, and houses. Eggshells are also used as protection from the evil-eye, but they're only used for beautiful flowers.

Some framed inscriptions hanging in houses and painted on large trucks and other vehicles are used to avert evil eyes from the houses and vehicles, or to bring the protection of God. Of those inscriptions "Masallah" means "what (wonders) God has willed," "Allah Korusun" means "may God protect from all evil."

Remembering Ataturk

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:18:29 +0000

Turkish people pay tribute to the father of their modern republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, with nationwide memorial services on November 10th of every year. During the day, which marks the anniversary of Ataturk's death, the entire country stops all activities for two minutes at 9:05 a.m., the moment of his death. This includes all vehicular and pedestrian traffic as well.

The beginning of the silence is announced by blowing sirens, car horns, as well as train, ship and factory whistles. Flags are lowered to half-staff and the national anthem is played at ceremonies at schools, military bases, government offices, and factories. Programs on Ataturk's life and accomplishments are broadcast by the Turkish media all day long.

Ataturk, the founder and first president of the modern Republic of Turkey, was born in 1881 in Salonica, Greece, then a part of the Ottoman Empire. Ataturk was young when his father, Ali Riza, died. His mother, Zubeyde, had to leave Salonica and move to her brother's farm. Instead of school, Ataturk worked on the farm, and his mother worried about his lack of schooling. Eventually he returned to Salonica to attend middle school. He took the military school entrance exam in 1893 without telling his mother.

Once at the military school, Mustafa developed a special interest in mathematics. He attempted problems well in advance of those taught in class. One day the teacher said to him, "Your name is Mustafa, so is mine. We can't let things go on like this. There must be some distinction between us. I suggest you call yourself Mustafa Kemal from now on. He did; Kemal means "perfection."

Mustafa Kemal entered the military academy in 1899. He graduated from General Staff College as a captain in 1905 and was assigned to the 5th Army Corp in Syria. There he saw the disorganization of the army and civilian administration and realized that something had to be done to save the country. In 1909 when mutiny broke out in Istanbul, Mustafa Kemal was an army officer who helped suppress the reactionaries. That same year, the Italians attacked Libya, then a part of the Ottoman Empire. He began organizing the local people against the invaders.

Mustafa Kemal went from one battle to another. During World War I, the Ottomans joined the war on Germany's side, fighting against the British, French, Italians, and the Russians. Mustafa Kemal's defeat of the British armada at Gallipoli made him a hero. In 1915, he was in Diyarbakir and stemmed the Russian advance. In 1916, he was fighting in Southern Palestine.

Being on the losing side, the Ottoman armies were disarmed and disbanded. On May 15th, 1919, the Greeks landed at Izmir. Mustafa Kemal went to Samsun near the Black Sea on May 19th, 1919 and started the War of Independence. wherever he went, everybody -- young and old, men and women, officers and civilians -- followed him as the only savior of the country.

The Turkish Grand National Assembly opened April 23, 1920, under his chairmanship. A new army was formed to fight the occupying armies on all fronts. Three years of occupation finally ended and, with the Lausanne treaty giving full recognition to the new state, Mustafa Kemal proclaimed the modern Republic of Turkey and became its first president. Convinced that military victory was not sufficient, he felt the revolution had to be followed by profound economic, social, and cultural reforms.

During Ataturk's 15-year administration, the nation moved forward and embraced western standards. Ataturk set up schools in every village and town and changed the country's Arabic alphabet to Latin. He separated religious affairs from state affairs. Legal and modern reforms began. Women were granted equal rights with men. a completely new economic system was constructed and surnames (last names) were adopted.

In recognition for his efforts, Mustafa Kemal was given the surname "Ataturk" by the General Assembly, which means "father of the Turks." In the short span of his life, he achieved the rebirth of a nation. He died in Istanbul on November 10th, 1938, at 9:05 a.m. He was 57 years old. Today he lives on in the minds and hearts of Turkish people. He represents a brave history, and the future pride of Turkey. Ataturk's body rests today in his mausoleum, called the Anitkabir, in Ankara.